In March 2026, the Ukrainian Defense Forces deployed a greater number of strike drones against Russia compared to the number of drones launched by Russia towards Ukraine, according to a report by ABC News.
The analysis, based on daily data from the Ukrainian Air Force and the Russian Ministry of Defense, revealed that Russia claimed to have shot down 7,347 Ukrainian drones during the month, averaging about 237 drones per day. However, ABC News noted that these figures from the Russian Ministry of Defense only reflect the number of drones they reported as intercepted.
ABC News also highlighted the difficulty in independently verifying the Russian data. Meanwhile, the Ukrainian Air Force reported that they conducted attacks involving 6,462 Russian drones and 138 various types of missiles in March 2026. Of these, Ukrainian air defense systems reportedly destroyed or intercepted 5,833 drones and 102 missiles, which accounts for approximately 90% of the drones and 74% of the missiles launched.
On average, Russia launched around 208 drones daily against Ukraine throughout March. Notably, the month saw a record high for Russian aerial assaults, with a total of 6,600 drones and missiles deployed against Ukraine.
The most significant single attack occurred on March 24, when Russia launched 948 strike drones in one day.
In March 2026, Ukrainian forces outperformed Russian drone launches, with significant interceptions reported. The month marked a record for Russian aerial assaults against Ukraine.
Source: ABC News